South Film Industry: For millions, Rajinikanth is more than just a name. Many in the film industry have grown up idolizing Rajinikanth. The release of his film is not less than a carnival, not only in Tamil Nadu but across the country. The actor, fondly called ‘Thalavar’ by his fans and colleagues, married K.K. He started his acting career with Balachander’s film Apoorva Raagangal. His dedication has now elevated him to a “god like” stature.
Rajinikanth has been working in the industry for 48 years now. But the road to superstardom was not a straight one. Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, named after Chhatrapati Shivaji, is Rajinikanth’s birth name. He was born in Bangalore to a Maharashtrian mother. His father was a police head constable. Growing up in an ordinary middle-class home, Rajinikanth had to face a lot of hardships as a young child. He started working as a porter, then did carpentry, then carried sacks of rice for money, before taking the exam to join the Bangalore Transport Service as a bus conductor.
Even as a bus conductor, Rajinikanth was able to win over people with his charisma, to the extent that people used to leave other buses to board the young and cute conductor’s bus. Sivaji the actor, who lost his mother at the age of 9, later worked in theater and was inspired by Sivaji Ganesan to pursue a career in film. With some financial assistance from a friend, he managed to enroll himself in the Madras Film Institute, where he studied under Tamil film director K.K. Balachander’s attention. Since that time there has been no looking back for Thalaivar!
Rajinikanth’s heyday was in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In films like Mullum Malarum, Johny and Thillu Mullu, which were huge hits, he played comic roles. He was truly a one man army. Due to the consistent box office success of his films, he rose to the status of a bankable star. Since the 1970s, he has had a series of critically and financially successful films, including Naan Sigappu Manithan, Padikkathavan, Mr. Bharath, Velakaran and Dharmathin Thalaivan. In the 1990s he gave Thalapathy, Annamalai, Mannan, Veera and Baasha.
There’s only one megastar, and none are comparable! At 71, he is different from everyone else! He has the same charisma and aura that draws audiences to the theatres. Rajinikanth has demonstrated that if one is dedicated to achieving great things, age is just a number and doesn’t really matter.